Episode 21

After Helga left, Elia came out of the tavern and yelled in frustration.

“Argh! So annoying!”

Stella didn’t express her emotions by screaming out like Elia did, but it was clear she was suppressing her anger inside.
Every time she exhaled deeply, it felt like the life candle inside Rihanna was flickering.

‘What should I do?’

The fear that this trouble might bounce back to her, and the priority of ensuring that the sharp anger accompanied by the volcanic rage of the elves wasn’t directed at her. Rihanna started sweating nervously as she scoured the nearby shops to appease the elves.

Spotting a street vendor selling various foods and drinks, Rihanna’s eyes sparkled.
Although she hadn’t spent much time with the elves, she recalled that these crazy elves were at least calm and genuinely smiling when eating food.
Whether it was because of Ain or because they truly liked the food, she wasn’t sure, but she had to utilize everything around her as if grasping at straws.

“Umm, do you want to eat that?”

Elia and Stella stared at the street vendor Rihanna pointed to and nodded.
Elia, who had been yelling with a flushed face, suddenly spoke with a calm demeanor.

“Yes, I want to eat that.”

Rihanna sighed with relief at the response, finally able to feel a sense of calm. It seemed to be the latter.
The elves, seated at the round table in front of the street vendor, naturally spoke to Rihanna.

“You go get it. We’ll wait here.”

“Uh, okay.”

Rihanna couldn’t refute at the request. These elves were furious, and she couldn’t predict what kind of horrible thing might happen if she defied them.

Even as she walked to the shop right in front of her, her insides were boiling with anger.

If they at least gave her money while saying such things, she wouldn’t find the situation so hateful.
Rihanna opened her wallet and held the 5,000 gold that Ain had given her.
Her trembling hands were clearly reluctant to part with the money, but in the face of the overwhelming fear that threatened her life, there was no other choice.

With still trembling hands, Rihanna pointed to the food items one by one and ordered.

“Uh, one chicken skewer… and that fruit candy and a large drink, please.”

A middle-aged man with a hearty beard said in a loud voice.

“Yes! That’ll be three thousand gold altogether!”

As if it weren’t festival season, it was outrageously expensive. There was a limit to how much they could overcharge.
While she was harboring such complaints, the shopkeeper snatched the money from Rihanna’s small palm and began reheating the cold food.

Before the food came out, a large mug was filled with a red drink.
Receiving the mug with both hands, she looked at the shimmering surface and fell into thought.

Should she spit in it?

As long as it wasn’t a thick spit, they wouldn’t notice if it was mixed well.

After pondering for a long time, she eventually shook her head from side to side, dismissing the negative thoughts.

No, let’s not do that.

With those crazy elves’ abilities, they would notice even a small amount of spit like a ghost. Yes, definitely…
It was better to avoid creating unnecessary trouble.

Holding the skewer and candy precariously in her hands, Rihanna headed towards the table where the elves were.

However, the scene around the round table had changed significantly since she left.
The most noticeable change was the presence of three burly men standing tall.

‘What’s going on?’

A sense of unease washed over her.

Did something happen during that brief moment of inattention?
Next to Elia and Stella, three sly men with their hands in their pockets were trying to flirt with cheesy lines.

“Did you come as a pair? There are three of us, but if you’re okay with the number, do you want to hang out together?”

“By the way, how old are you? You look really young, like you’re in your late teens.”

Elia frowned as if she was annoyed and spoke in a frustrated tone.

“We’re four years old.”

She told the truth, but the men laughed out loud as if they had heard a funny joke.
Their exaggerated reactions to trying to hang out with the girls seemed ridiculous.

In the end, they grabbed Elia’s wrist and tried to take her away forcibly.

“Come on, don’t be like that. Elves like this kind of thing, right?”

Despite several rejections from the elves, the men didn’t give up, and even subtly tried to touch Elia’s chest or buttocks, causing Stella’s eyebrow to twitch slightly upward.
Having observed so far, that was Stella’s characteristic gesture when she was annoyed.
Rihanna sprang into action immediately before things got out of hand.

“You crazy, disgusting, parentless perverts! What do you think you’re doing?”

Did they intend to destroy an entire village by doing such vile things to the elves she had barely calmed down?
She didn’t want to see the festival, which was finally open, be stained with blood.

Rihanna hurled unmentionable curses, screamed with a voice close to evil, and charged at them, throwing the candy and skewer she held in her hand, repeatedly bashing their heads with an orc mug, and shook off the man who had grabbed Elia’s wrist.

The man, who was attacked out of nowhere, reflexively kicked Rihanna in the stomach while spewing profanities.
She rolled on the floor for a moment with a painful groan, but soon got back up. Without giving up, she charged at them, shouting.

The men, seeing Rihanna charging at them like she had lost her mind, hesitated with bewildered expressions and began to back away.

“What the hell, who is this crazy woman?!”

As the sudden commotion erupted, people gathered around, and among them were voices criticizing the man who tried to forcibly take Elia away.
The men, with faces flushed with shame, blamed Rihanna, who was half kneeling and screaming, and left the scene one by one.

“That crazy woman ruined everything. We almost had her.”

Breathing heavily and roughly, Rihanna thought.

What was almost over was your lives. Who saved those trash from paying the fare to the ferryman of the underworld right now?

They should have thanked her instead.
Responding to a lifesaver with curses and violence.

Hoping they step in dog poop later, Rihanna stood up and dusted off her clothes.

Stella gave a small smile, as if surprised by Rihanna’s demeanor.

Under the soft lighting, Stella’s smile shone even more than usual. Seeing her like this, it was clear why the men were drawn to her.
Even though she was a woman, too, just one smile made her heart race with delusion.

Certainly, as long as she doesn’t open her mouth…

Barely finishing her thought, Rihanna watched as Stella slowly parted her lips.

“Did you come to protect us? You’re our puppy, after all.”

“Ugh…”

Even if she tried to think positively, she couldn’t do so anymore. To blatantly treat someone like a dog.
Rarely, Elia also smiled and gently brushed the mess of Rihanna’s hair that had tangled when she fell.

“Well done. Good girl.”

Receiving Elia’s warm touch, Rihanna felt puzzled by her gradually improving mood.

‘What is this?’

Clearly treated like a puppy, yet she didn’t feel bad. In fact, she wished for more praise…

‘No, what am I thinking?’

Rihanna hastily escaped Elia’s touch. This was dangerous. If she had heard more of Elia’s praise, she felt she might have crossed an irreversible river…
She offered a dazed apology while looking at the food that had fallen to the ground, pitifully covered in dust.

“Oh, I’m sorry about the food. I was in such a hurry…”

Before Rihanna could finish her sentence, Stella cut in neatly.

“It’s fine. I wasn’t particularly hungry anyway. Besides, if I snack too much in places like this, Dad will have something to say.”

“What? Then why did you ask me to buy it?”

“Well, it was just nice to see you trying so hard to cheer us up. Isn’t that right?”

Elia nodded in response to Stella’s question.

“Yes. With you trying so hard, there’s no need for us to refuse, right? It’s rather cute, too.”

She was completely played with in the palm of their hands.
Still, knowing that the elves found her cute was somewhat reassuring.
At least there wouldn’t be a dreadful end.

Rihanna looked at the clock tower as she threw the food that had fallen on the floor into the trash can.

“Feeling better now? Let’s go to Ain. If we’re any later, he’ll be suspicious.”

Stella stretched, yawned, and with a reddened face as she thought of Ain, shared her plan.

“Yeah, I’ve been wandering among humans too much, and I’m getting tired. I need to rest in Dad’s arms.”

Elia exclaimed, “Ah!” and grumbled.

“That’s unfair! I’m the one who gets to hug Dad first.”

Stella gave a teasing smile and spoke again in a tone that seemed to mock Elia.

“The person Dad hugs first is the winner.”

On their way back to the inn, Rihanna watched them with amazement as they continuously bickered lightly over who would be the first to hug Ain, never taking a break.
She felt a bit closer to them.
Just as the torch blooming in the town center brightened the dark sky, the strange satisfaction of being praised by the elves filled Rihanna’s heart completely.